Ft. Lee Council Votes to Raze Barrymore House Despite Activists’ Efforts | Playbill

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News Ft. Lee Council Votes to Raze Barrymore House Despite Activists’ Efforts The town council in Ft. Lee, New Jersey, has voted 4-2 to demolish the historic Barrymore House, located just north of New York City. In a statement, the chairman of the Fort Lee Film Commission said that negotiations have been “ended by the Fort Lee town council with a vote of 4-2."

The town council in Ft. Lee, New Jersey, has voted 4-2 to demolish the historic Barrymore House, located just north of New York City. In a statement, the chairman of the Fort Lee Film Commission said that negotiations have been “ended by the Fort Lee town council with a vote of 4-2."

“The worst part of this is that we were never given an answer as to why,” explained commission chair Louis Azzollini. “There's nothing I can write that can even begin to describe how the majority of the people in town feel at the loss of this decision.”

Coincidentally, actress Drew Barrymore was recently in the headlines after a house pet alerted her and her then fiancé that their California house was on fire. Both escaped injury, according to news reorts, but their home and possessions were lost.

Commission chair Azzollini has been organizing grass roots support for the effort to save the one-time family home of actor John Barrymore from demolition. He said he had not heard from Drew Barrymore. A call to Barrymore’s publicist was not returned by press time.

After local television covered the demolition battle in early March, Azzollini told Playbill On-Line about his plans to establish a Barrymore Center at the home, once it was landmarked. Azzollini described plans for "a museum and center for the study of film and theatre arts, [as well as a] meeting center" at the site. As reported, Azzollini's sought letters from the public and initial non-financial support in an effort to influence local politicians and officials who will vote on the fate of the Barrymore home on March 22.

At the turn of the century, the commission reports, Barrymore patriarch, Maurice Barrymore owned a large house in Fort Lee. While living as a Fort Lee resident, Barrymore held a successful fundraiser for the local fire department in 1900. There, his son John Barrymore (then 18) gave a performance that is widely regarded as his acting debut.

The Barrymore effort on behalf of the fire department became a local legend and netted "enough funds for the land, building, and equipment for Firehouse No. 2 to be incorporated," according to the commission statement .

As one alternative plan suggests, the town of Fort Lee may be considering a purchase of the historic 1876 structure. "We are asking, not for any monies, since it has been assured it will automatically be designated a landmark," Azzollini's statement reads, "but for an e-mail and/or phone call from your organization in support for this project...voting on this acquisition will be done on March 22."

Azzollini said the home is a beautiful, three-story structure with 12-foot ceilings and lots of space. News stories in March 2001 portrayed a different image, as Azzollini explained. "The exterior of the home was resurfaced in the '20s or '30s," Azzollini estimated, "judging by the age of the old tar paper siding, which is horrendous." Azzollini believes that once the original wood siding is restored the exterior will once again match the beautiful original woodwork inside the home.

Another aspect of the commission's work is determining exactly where the other Barrymores lived in Fort Lee. Ethel Barrymore is believed to have lived just four blocks from the John Barrymore home, on Washington Avenue. Lionel Barrymore lived just south in the Palisades section.

"Fort Lee was like the movie capital of the world at that time," Azzollini said. People often rented these homes, making it difficult to trace records to determine where people lived if they didn't actually own the property.

Azzollini's group has already collected a great deal of theatre memorabilia, including theatrical artifacts dating to the heyday of the original Empire and Strand Theatres, a period when Maurice Barrymore would often have leading legitimate actors of the day visit his Fort Lee home.

The Fort Lee Film Commission is also compiling its own book, Azzollini said, but for now it relies on the "bible," a 1977 book titled "The Movies Begin" by former Library of Congress employee Paul Spehr. Spehr's book chronicles much of the local entertainment history of the region.

"We do need to raise money," Azzollini told Playbill On-Line. The Fort Lee group is seeking to contact a wide range of possible supporters, from theatre producers to the staff of "This Ol' House." Funding may also come from a variety of sources, including actress and family descendent Drew Barrymore and possibly the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Fort Lee Film Commission can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].

—By Murdoch McBride

 
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